The Cannondale Synapse evolves

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The range topping Hi-Mod Synapse with Dura-Ace Di2(Image credit: Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media)

This article originally appeared on BikeRadar

Yes, the changes look subtle, but they are plenty significant, not least in the geometry. The existing bike was the basis, but project head, David Devine, tells us: "We worked with the engineers and designers to take the Synapse platform and redefine it as race endurance, so that means we want to retain the character of the Synapse but inject it with more of a racing feel, so it's got lighter, lower and more responsive."

The bike's stack is lower by a single millimetre (size 58) than the previous design, and the bottom bracket height is 5mm lower to account for bigger tyre clearance. So the net stack is in effect much lower and the reach is actually reduced by 1mm, but the wheelbase is down 4mm. The trail is also up by a millimetre to 58, again to account for the use of bigger tyres, and the net effect is a bike with sharper responses than before — not that the previous Synapse was any slouch in this department.

The tubing profiles are all defined by Cannondale's SAVE design (Synapse-Active-Vibration-Elimination), which was introduced back in 2002 on the first Synapse — and Cannondale's first all-carbon road frame. These SAVE zones, where a combination of tubing shape, material, and layup and orientation of the carbon fibres, provide vibration nulling flex on the Synapse and extend beyond the usual areas of the frame (stays, fork legs, seat tube) to include the 25.4 carbon post, and for the first time a bar with SAVE properties.

For those who want to explore the 1x world, the front mech mount is removable for a cleaner look. The internal cable routing is adaptable to every system, with a port in the down tube that can either run standard cables, a flush fitting blanking plate or a rather neat holder for the new Di2 junction box, which was originally designed to fit into a bar end. Here it's much cleaner and simpler to fit and a really clever piece of design.

The stem forgoes a standard clamp zone in favour of an arc shaped cradle which the elliptically shaped bar sits in. It's clamped in place by four bolts (two from the top and two from the underside) through the bar centre, which has a moulded-in aluminium clamp section. This allows the bar to be a continuous elliptical shape on the top section, which is engineered to reduce noise and has the added advantage of being more aerodynamic than a standard bar/clamp setup — Cannondale insists it didn't design the new bike with aero gains in mind, rather it's elliptically shaped because it's better ergonomically.

The Hi-Mod Synapse however is only the first part of the range, the new Synapse Carbon (which starts at £2,199.99 / $2,499.99) features a frame with all the same features, but is built from a more cost effective carbon. The only design change is around the bottom bracket shell, so instead of the very complex (and expensive to manufacture) twin-spar Power Pyramid, the Synapse carbon has a simpler offset triangular transition between the tube and bottom bracket.